Stranded
by Gogeto
Summary: A fic about the part of the game where everyone is searching for Aeris and the City of the Ancients. Focused on Cloud and Aeris. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!


Hi everybody! (Audience) Hi Dr. Gogeto! (Me again) Um… right… I didn't know I was a doctor. o.o" Anyway, I'm finally writing a Final Fantasy fanfic like I've always wanted. This one seemed like just a natural choice, really. It takes place around the time Aeris died. Yes, I call her Aeris. That's what it says in the game and that's how I'm used to it, and I think officially changing it to Aerith was ridiculous. If the Japanese name for her was Earisu, I should think it would be more likely to translate to Aeris anyway. If you've got a problem with it, feel free not to read my fanfic, by all means. Getting back to the point… o.o' My fanfic is named Stranded. It's named after the song by Heart, but it isn't a songfic. Now, I've said a lot, so it's time for the story now!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, the music group Heart, or anything related toeither of these, except for a lot of Final Fantasy merchandise. I only wish I owned Final Fantasy itself.

((Text)): Flashback scenes

'Text': Thoughts

**Chapter 1: Searching For a Friend **

She knew from the beginning it was all a dream. The blond, spiky-haired man in front of her, his sword raised high- he was only part of her nightmares. She longed so desperately for him to rescue her from this place, from her fate, that she could not stop seeing him, yet knowing full well he wasn't really there. Her whole purpose in coming alone was to keep him out of the danger she was in, but secretly she wanted him by her side, for comfort and security.

'I did the right thing… didn't I?' she thought.

She saw the spiky-haired man lower his sword to his side. There was a gust of wind from above, but she didn't look up. After all, it didn't matter- it was only a dream. Somewhere, in a distant region of her mind, she felt a blinding agony. She fell to her knees, yet she didn't know why. As she slumped to the floor, she never once even glanced at the enormous sword being pulled from her stomach. Distantly, she heard someone cry out and felt him cradle her. She knew it couldn't be real; he wouldn't come to rescue her. She would be lost in this nightmarish world for eternity.

'Why do I feel… pain? This… is only a dream… isn't it?' she thought, feeling herself fade to become part of the lifestream…

/Scene change/

Before even entering, Cloud knew he was looking at the City of the Ancients. He could sense Aeris and Sephiroth somewhere inside. There was a struggle going on inside him, even more than usual. He couldn't get past the fact that he caused this. It was Cloud who gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth, causing Aeris to be in danger, but even worse than that was that he attacked Aeris. He thought back to how it had happened.

((Cloud was floating in the air, detached from his body. He could see himself on the ground, as if in a dream. Then he heard that horrible voice he dreaded so much.

"There, Cloud… good boy," Sephiroth said, watching as Cloud's body brought the Black Materia to him. "……Well done."

Sephiroth disappeared and Aeris came over to Cloud. "Cloud, are you all right?" she said, worry in her voice.

"…I gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth…?" he said, his head aching. "Wha… what did I do… tell me, Aeris."

"Cloud… be strong, okay?" Aeris said with even more worry.

"Urrrrrrgh… What have I done?" Cloud cried out, holding his head in pain.

"Cloud… you haven't done anything. It's not your fault."

Then, to the disembodied Cloud's horror, he saw his own body begin to attack Aeris. He knocked her to the ground and began kicking her repeatedly in the stomach.

After a while, Cloud fell unconscious…

He awoke in a dream state. "Everything is white… What did I do? I don't remember anything… My memory… since when…? If everything's a dream, don't wake me," he said to no one in particular.

"Cloud, can you hear me?" He heard Aeris' voice, and then he spotted her coming to him. He was in a forest he had never been to.

"Yeah, I hear you. Sorry for what happened," he said, still somewhat confused about what was happening.

"Don't worry about it," Aeris said, flashing a big smile.

"…I can't help it…"

"Oh… Then why don't you _really _worry about it? And let me take care of you. So you don't have a breakdown, okay?" she said, keeping that reassuring smile on her face.

Cloud looked around. "What is this place?" he asked.

"This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it. This secret is just up here. At least it should be," she explained. "…I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something. Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."

"Aeris?" Cloud began, even more confused than he was before. He watched as Aeris walked away, unable to follow her. Then the voice was in his head again, the one that would not leave him alone.

"Hmm…… She's thinking of interfering? She will be a difficult one, don't you think? We must stop that girl soon," Sephiroth's evil voice echoed inside his head.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think… 'We…?'))

All of this because he was too weak to resist Sephiroth's control. Despite it, he didn't fight back as much as he could have. Even now, he knew it would happen again if they found Sephiroth.

'What's wrong with me?' he thought. His heart was filled with confusion, and he knew there was also something else… He was trying to reject it, but he didn't know quite what it was. All he knew was that it was dangerous and should be kept deep inside of him.

It had taken them days to locate the City of the Ancients, and along with his confusion, Cloud was worried about Aeris. He would never tell Tifa of his feelings for Aeris, but he imagined Tifa could tell anyway. After all, she saw how they were together; she heard the way they talked to one another. They had known each other such a short time, but they bonded and developed strong feelings for each other. And now Cloud had failed her…

'I won't let anything happen to her. I swear it…,' he thought, determination mixed with worry showing in his eyes.

Cloud felt a tap on his shoulder, breaking his train of thoughts. He glanced over to see Tifa looking at him concernedly. "Are you okay, Cloud?" she asked softly. She was really cute whenever she was worried about him. He never noticed before.

"Yeah, I'm all right," he replied, flashing a false grin. It didn't reassure Tifa, though. In fact, he could tell Tifa was even more worried now.

Tifa looked down at the ground. "It's okay, Cloud. I know how you feel about her. I know you're scared for her. We all are…," she said quietly. She looked up suddenly. "It'll be okay, though! I'm sure of it!"

Cloud looked away. "I hope you're right, Tifa…"

She walked up right next to Cloud and gently placed her arms around him, then looked up into his eyes. "Cloud… I… I really care about you, and I really hope nothing happens to Aeris, not because she's our friend, although that is part of it. I want her to be okay because I want you to be happy, more than anything…"

He looked down at her sadly. "Thank you, Tifa… And I'm so sorry that I don't feel the same for you as you do for me…"

Tifa let go and turned away, blushing slightly. "I want you to know that if we make it through this I won't get between the two of you…"

Cloud placed his hand on her shoulder. "Tifa, I'm sorry it had to end up this way, but you know we can still be great friends!" Cloud declared, giving a genuine smile. "Whaddya say?"

She smiled slightly. "It's better than nothing, right?"

Cloud gave her a quick hug. "That's the spirit! Now come on, we have a friend to find!"

**End of Chapter 1**

Hope you liked it! Lots of reviews, please! Constructive criticism greatly appreciated. I will update when I finish chapter 2. Gogeto signing off!


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